Business Notes, March 5-11

Send announcements, which are open to the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454. For additional listings, visit www.connectionnewspapers.com.

The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce announces its finalists for its annual business awards, which will be presented at its 13th Annual Gala Awards set for March 8.

The 13th Annual Awards Gala will be at the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel, at 13869 Park Center Road, Herndon. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. followed by an evening of dinner and dancing.

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce's 2008 "Lunch & Learn" Series program featuring Leesburg Town Manager John Wells and his senior staff, Wednesday, March 12, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Lightfoot Restaurant, 11 N. King St., Leesburg. Cost: members $30, nonmembers $45; add $10 at the door. RSVP to Lorna Campbell Clarke at lclarke@loudounchamber.org. Register online at www.loudounchamber.org or call 571-209-9036.

Whitestone Farm, Aldie, owns 13 bulls listed in the spring 2008 Sire Evaluation Report published by the American Angus Association in Saint Joseph, Mo. Issued in both the spring and fall, the new report features the latest performance information available on 5,299 sires and is accessible at www.angussiresearch.com.

The Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association (LCVA) announces the launch of a new feature on its VisitLoudoun.org Web site: user-generated reviews. Loudoun residents and visitors are encouraged to enter reviews about their own experiences at Loudoun businesses on the Web site.

Cryptek Inc. of Sterling announces that it has appointed John W. Kyle as vice president of marketing. In this new position, Kyle will have global responsibility for marketing and product management at Cryptek. Kyle holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from Heriot Watt University.

Daniel Pink, best selling author and promoter of right brain thinking, recently recognized KidzArt, an international childrenï¿½s art enrichment company with a location in Leesburg, and the companyï¿½s role in developing resourcefulness, imagination and originality in children. KidzArt employs various ways to inspire and develop students into becoming innovative thinkers. For more information on right brain thinking or for details on art classes in the Leesburg area, call childrenï¿½s art expert Wendy Green at 703-669-3772 or visit www.kidzartva.com.

Benihana officials and guests celebrated the opening of its Dulles restaurant with a "kagami wari" ceremony. A ceremonial sake barrel was broken and guests toasted to the success of the Dulles location. The restaurant design, just the fourth of the new prototype to be built from the ground up, is known as "The Next Benihana." It invites guests to enjoy the restaurantï¿½s famous teppanyaki and sushi menu in an environment inspired by traditional Japanese culture and architecture.

Annaleeï¿½s, a boutique specializing in formal wear and accessories has just opened in the Brambleton Town Center.

The Leesburg/Greater Loudoun Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) announces it was awarded $1,000 in scholarship funds that it will match with another $1,000 to help eligible chapter members pursue certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute. Leesburg Chapter SHRM members can apply for the 2008 scholarship from Kim Isaac at kim.isaac@ngc.com or by going to leesburg.shrm.org. Contact Linda daCosta at Lindaverob@aol.com or 703-728-8577.

Lansdowne Resort was presented with the Virginia Green Lodging Certificate of Environmental Commitment by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. This acknowledgement underscores the commitment of Lansdowne Resort to minimizing its environmental impact by conserving resources wherever feasible in its operations. The Virginia Green Lodging Program is an initiative of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to advance pollution prevention methods in the tourism and hospitality industry.

SunTrust Mortgage Inc. announces that the Virginia Housing Development Authority is recognizing one of its Loudoun County mortgage loan consultants, Mary Krueger, as a 2007 Top Producing Loan Officer.

The Chantilly and Sterling branches of the Virginia Paving Company have won the Diamond Achievement Award. Presented annually by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Diamond Achievement Award is given to select facilities throughout the U.S. that demonstrate a level of excellence in environmental practices, permitting, regulatory compliance, appearance, operations and community relations.

Jennifer Mangum and Suzan Meredith of Redecorate Today, a Northern Virginia interior refining company, have been named a "Gold Members" of the Interior Refiners Network, an organization of one-day redecorators who provide affordable, professional, quality decorating help to the public by working with them to transform their homes by using what they own.

All local area vendors are invited to attend Loudoun County Procurementï¿½s 2008 buyer/seller information exchange sessions. These sessions are to provide information on the countyï¿½s procurement processes and upcoming contracts. The sessions will take place March 20 at 2 p.m.; April 23 at 10:30 a.m.; May 22 at 2 p.m. and June 25 at 10:30 a.m. The sessions will take place at the Loudoun County Government Center. To register, visit www.loudoun.gov/procurement, call 703-777-0403 or e-mail rebecca.kummel@loudoun.gov.

Fabbioli Cellars has started a return program on its raspberry merlot bottle. A $1 refund is offered to customers for each bottle brought back. Because the bottle has a permanently imprinted label and the wine is nonvintage, this package can be reused. The pilot program will run indefinitely and will then be evaluated. For more information on what other sustainable practices Fabbioli Cellars abides by, visit the Web site at www.fabbioli.com.